Season Notes
by Yukikaze Luna
Summary: Percy Jackson transfers to Half-Blood High—a prodigious school major in three different departments: Musical, Education and Sports. Joining the Education Department as the rare transfer, his wish to avoid attention has failed him when the Musical Department starts to take an interest in him, which strikes him bewilderedly because he believes he doesn't have a talent. Does he?


**Author: Music AU. Highschool theme. Mainly focuses on Romance, Drama and Music.**

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Percy Jackson And The Olympians or Heroes Of Olympus. All rights is solely belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Chapter One  
Mundane Encounters

"Have you got everything?" Paul asked for the umpteenth time, his fingers tapping nervously by the wheel.

"I'm fine, Paul," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "You're sounding a lot like Mom."

Paul grinned. "Well, don't want your first day to go unprepared, do you?"

"I guess not. Bye, Paul. Tell Mom she can stop praying to the Gods."

Paul shrugged. "Sally's just worried."

"I know," Percy said. "That's why you are there."

"Right. Good luck, kiddo." Paul ruffled his hair affectionately. He pulled out of the driveway.

Percy stood there, watching the spot where his step-father's car had been. "Yeah, first day," he mumbled bitterly, turning away. First day of school was always the worst day for him. You would want to get a positive first impression. So far, trouble was written across for him. He didn't look anything trouble. Like his father, he had untameable black hair and sea-green eyes. He wasn't tall nor was he short, just about average height. He wore a T-shirt, an unzipped jacket, jeans and sneakers. Plain and simple.

You were probably wondering why he was nervous. First off, he was attending Half-Blood High, the largest and most prominent school in New York. Half-Blood High was devided into three departments with their own coloured T-shirts: orange for Musical, white for Education and black for Sports. Literal meaning: either you were a superstar, a nerd or a athletic. Great. Three different societies that do not suit him at all. Just great.

Second, a transferee like him doesn't happen very often. Most six graders, from the end of their school year, an immediate choice was given. There was no half-way trial that put you in the middle. To uncomplicate things, a transferee like him was a rare case to gaze at.

No sooner had he walked into the compound, he felt stares boring into him between his shoulder blades even when he wasn't looking. The Education Department was where new transfers got their schedule, and students here expressed their vibes often with looks and stares that made him shrunk. Through his father's influence and planning, he learnt that the Education Department was the gray in Half-Blood High, the mundane part of the whole school.

When you see white-coloured T-shirts gazing at you, you would see them scrutinizing you in a way of working their brains at you. Frankly, he was a solution for them to unravel. They saw you as a new pup joining the pack, whether you were a wolf, a human or a vampire, they want to solve you, define who you are. Most expectant stares would be directed to either Musical or Sports. You could say the Education Department was made for normal students who wanted a degree to at least go to college.

A group of girls in the school's white T-shirts batted eyelashes, coming up to him with books. They were dressed in mini-skirts and make-up. Cheerleaders. Not a good sign. "Hey, are you new?" one of them asked, flipping her blond hair. "We can show you around." Her girls nodded in agreement, doing the same flipping thing. So, he mused, she must be the leader.

"Yeah, I'm new," he said casually. "I just need directions to the headmistress' office." The thing he didn't get about cheerleaders was how the lankies seemed to say and do everything their leaders do. Mind control of some sort.

The blonde pouted. "Oh, come on, no need to spoil the fun, right?" She circled a finger around his chest. He was about to recoil when one of her underlings hooked an arm around his shoulder, another latched onto his side. "You're kinda cute for someone in the Education Department. Are you sure you're not from the Musical or Sports, 'cause that will be great for us if you stay here. We can hang out everyday."

Percy shuddered from their breaths. Too close, it was all he could register with their mouths at his nape and his ear, hands running down his arm seductively. He tried to pull away, but found their grip stronger than he thought. He ducked away from a kiss. _Don't panic_, he told himself, trying to stay calm, _what do you do when girls cling onto you like leechers? Oh, I don't know, because girls never do that to me! Is this nice? No! It's horrible! Help!_

"Don't worry," the blonde cheerleader whispered hotly into his ear, "we'll satisfy you 'till your heart's content, alright?" The blonde noticed his foreign movements to get away. She grinned at him. "New at this, are you? Where did you went before coming here? A school full of males? Mind introducing some to my girls? You can have me."

"That's enough."

The blonde cheerleader grumbled, craning her head back to the voice. She paled and unlatched from Percy; her girls following her unceremoniously, accidentally kneading Percy down onto the floor. Percy yelped in response to the treatment, wincing at the bruise from his elbow. He looked up at his saviour, about to express his gratitude. He stopped and just..._stared_.

The girl had golden curls that reached past her waist, her instense gray eyes studied him in many different ways. Percy would have mistaken her for another student from the same department if it weren't for the orange Half-Blood High T-shirt she was wearing. Though appearance betrayed it. She looked tall, fit and athletic for Sports, smart for Education and the California, natural tan vibe to be in Musical. She was the spitting image of three departments he could never imagine being in one piece.

The cheerleaders scurried away with an apology, tripping over their own feet during the process. The blonde in front of him shook her head, the corner of her mouth quirking up to hold back a laugh. He felt dumb merely gawking at her, so he unconsciously burted out, "I could have handle that, you know?" _Stupid, stupid, why in the Hades did I just say that? The girl saved you, you idiot!_

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "You are really a bad liar, you know?"

Percy could feel himself heat up at the comment. He turned away to hide his reddened cheeks. He had been told several times, but to let someone he first met say that, he really must be a pretty bad liar.

"You're new, right?"

He nodded without looking. He didn't trust himself to talk. He was afraid he would say something stupid.

"Your elbow," she said after a while. "Let me take a look."

"No, it's okay! I'm fine—"

His protests were cut short when she lifted him up by his shoulders, careful to avoid the bruised elbow. Damn, she was strong. He avoided her eyes when she examined his elbow in different angles. "We're going to my Mom's office. You can take the schedule at the same time."

* * *

Annabeth knew she was late the moment she ran past the gates. She had woken up late because she spent the night chatting with Luke even though her step-mom had specifically lectured her on this. She decided to ignore the warning since Luke was telling her about his adventures during their field trip. Luke was happy to explain every detail to her and she was only happy to hear out for him. Was he her boyfriend? No. It was complicated.

She swore under her breath when she realized too soon that she accidentally ended up in Education Department. The three departments were separated into three different buildings as to not rile up any field between the Musical and the Sports, so she pretty much have to retrace her steps and run again.

She was about to run out the entrance when she spotted a gang of white-tees fastening over a male. It was a daily occurance, but the brainiac part of her mind told her to study him properly. She did. She realized he wasn't wearing any one of the coloured Half-Blood High T-shirts. Weird. Her eyes flashed. Transferee. Her mother did mention a new transfer student.

Annabeth approached the girls with calculated steps, noticing the boy having trouble getting away. "That's enough," she said, making the blonde cheerleader turning to her, first with a scowl, then whitening that she thought the poor girl looked more dead than alive. Annabeth glared at her minions who instantly obeyed to let go. The boy fell with a yelp onto the floor.

Annabeth studied him curiously. The boy was about her age. He had unruly jet black hair, his bangs hanging over his forehead attractively enough to make those cheerleaders go gaga over him. He wasn't those gym work-out dudes, but muscular and lean enough to impress her. His skin had a natural tan, not too European white or Asian dark, but enough to stay in the middle. When their eyes met, she nearly gave in to those sea-green orbs. She felt like she was gazing at the ocean instead of a person's eyes.

Shuffling footsteps made her laugh at their tripping feet, but she held back her laughter, being mindful that someone else was watching her. She didn't see cheerleaders being so ungraceful often.

"I could have handle that, you know?" the boy blurted out. She didn't retort back. She saw how conflicted his mind was from that and knew he didn't mean it personally. He was trying his best to act tough. _Boys_. It nearly made her roll her eyes.

She simply raised an eyebrow. "You are really a bad liar, you know?"

He flushed, his eyes were wide as he sputtered, turning away. He was cute, she noted absent-mindedly.

"You're new, right?"

He nodded, his mouth pressed into a firm line.

Finding the silence a little too awkward, she finally said after a while, "Your elbow. Let me take a look."

"No, it's okay! I'm fine—"

_Silly boy_, she thought, cutting off his protests. She hefted him by the shoulders. Keeping a firm grip over his forearm, she turned his arm around, revealing a scraped bruise about the width of three fingers. The floor in the Education Department was kept dull. Renovation wasn't due until the holidays. It would explain how horrible he had scratched it, plus the momentum of the impact. He was still avoiding her, the tip of his ears were still beat red. She would have laughed at his embarrassment. She was also curious at the comparison between him and the boys she had met in her whole life.

Luke was an example of most boys. He liked to be touched by girls, playboy types and attention seekers. Jason was another example of being dense and ignoring it. Leo would make a cheeky comment. Frank would slip away. Either you were dense, you liked it, you make the best of it or you get away trying to act strong, four options she had came to associate with, but this boy was different. He didn't like it, which went against Luke's personality. He wasn't dense, he knew intimidation and touches, which went against Jason's. He didn't make a cheeky comment to offend her or expressed his feelings, which went against Leo's. He didn't try to pull away or act all tough, which went against Frank's. So, what was he? A new breed? A new stimulation?

"We're going to my Mom's office. You can take your schedule at the same time." Without further explanation, they descended down the corridors in twists and turns. After a flight of stairs, they reached the staff room. Teachers were milling about in racket. She dragged him by his shoulder to the principal's office, weaving past the crowd swiftly.

Her Mom was inside, sitting behind her desk, her fingers laced together. She had that know-it-all smirk. In reflex, Annabeth manoeuvred Percy onto the seat across her Mom, who only looked amused at the act. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her Mom. "Mom, you knew the transferee would be in trouble. Why didn't you send someone to escort him?"

Athena showed fake offence. "Then you would rather turn up late in class without a reasonable excuse?"

Annabeth was taken back. Athena smiled at her reaction. _She knew! _She sighed in exasperation. "Whatever. Where's my slip?" Athena wrote down a few words on a piece of paper. She tore it off and handed it to her without a word. "Thanks, Mom."

She was about to run out when she skidded to a stop. "Hey, I didn't catch your name earlier," she said to the transferee.

His eyes revealed astonishment. He composed himself and stuttered out, "P—Percy. Percy Jackson."

"Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

She left in a run.

* * *

"She was my escort?" Percy asked after Annabeth had left. "What will happen if she didn't turn up late? She didn't even know her role."

Athena snorted. "Please, Perseus, I expected a lot more admiration from that. Don't inherit your Father's lack of intelligence. Hades, I don't understand how he even manages his own company. Sea tranportation, yatchs, beaches, I don't trust he is the man inside that body."

Percy shrugged. Athena went to the first aid kit. She pulled out a roll of bandages, a bottle of antiseptic, a bundle of cotton wools and a bottle of mineral water. She grabbed a small amount of wool and soaked it in water, turning his arm over, she dapped the wool onto his elbow. The blood turned bright pink when it absorbed into the cotton wool. Next she applied antiseptic onto the wound. He winced and tried to stay still for her to work. She grabbed the roll of bandage, twirling it around his wound.

He watched her work. Athena was the smartest person he knew, so what was he expecting? A mistake? No way. When he took a closer look, Athena looked a lot like her daughter with stormy gray eyes, body built, but her hair was black, pulled back into a ponytail. He could see the resemblance nonetheless.

Knotting the bandage tightly, she pulled back, pushing the first aid back under her desk. "Well, I can see Barnacle Beard's looks on you, but I hope you won't have his brains. Please, dear Gods, that would be horrid. Here is your schedule for the semester."

"Thanks." Percy accepted the schedule. It consisted the usual time for normal students. English. Maths. Additional Maths. Chemistry. Biology. Physics. World History. Greek Mythology. There was a lot of blank spaces. His afternoon curriculum had nothing. Was this normal for the Education Department? "Umm, I think I miss some."

Athena waved dismissively. "Don't think too much, Perseus. The time will come for choices. And I hope you make the right one."

The way how she empathized it made him uneasy. Her stormy gray eyes seemed to radiate power, dark clouds shifting uncontrollably. "Yes, ma'am."

Athena smiled, but it didn't make her looked less warlike. "Good. Now, run along."

* * *

"Fine," Annabeth's history teacher growled. Her eyes were slits. "Go to your seat, Chase, and be very thankful the Gods are on your side, for now." Annabeth shuddered at her eyes, but for some unknown reason, her eyes were scanning her hair for any movements. She bowed respectfully before ascending the steps to her seat between two dark-haired girls in orange T-shirts.

Thalia tapped her on the shoulder and leaned in. "What made you late for Medusa's class? Number one rule in Half-Blood High: never come late for any class unless—in Medusa's case—you want yourself melted into stone for the museum."

Bianca wedged her large history book between Medusa and them. "Yeah. Or did Luke stop you for a make out session?" she teased, garnering a small blush from Annabeth. "I'm right, am I not?"

Annabeth nudged her shoulder with hers. "Shut up. I had to escort a transferee who couldn't escape from a group of cheerleaders. My Mom set me up. Can you believe it?"

"At least you get to skip the first ten minutes of History without detention," Thalia pointed out. "Next time, land me a job from your Mom. I'll gladly escape all my classes for the whole morning."

"Never mind that," Bianca interjected. "Was the transferee cute? Education Department standard, I mean?"

Annabeth shrugged. "He's okay. Different."

"Different?" Thalia urged her further.

Annabeth twirled a lock of her hair. "His personality. He gets embarrassed easily with the smallest affections like...he's new to it. He isn't dense, he understands hints, but he doesn't show a cocky side. Rather than feeling disgust or fondness, it appears foreign to him, almost as if he has never interact with girls before. Above all, he's a bad liar."

"Why? What did he tried to lie?"

She shook her head. "His elbow got bruised when the girls accidentally knocked him down trying to run. He tries to act cool, but I think even Jason would have figure it out. He was also pretty surprised when I asked for his name."

"Now, that, is weird," Thalia said. "Did he come from an all-boys school?"

"Maybe. He does seem out of place here. Must be his first time even talking to a girl," Bianca said, smiling. "Much less having a group of them flirting with him and a heroin saving his butt. Big day for him. Hope he's okay."

"Oh, don't worry, honey. I'm sure he's fine. You should worry more about yourself," Medusa said, directly in front of them with her slit-shaped pupils trained on them menacingly. She slapped the history book away. "Think very highly of yourself to talk in my class, huh? Was it too boring for you? I'll show you fun. Tonight, I shall have the three of you sweep the whole campus. By tomorrow morning, I want the place spotless."

* * *

"I'm home, Mom!" Percy called the minute he stepped through the threshold. His feet sored from walking home. He never walked home before. His previous school was too far so he had to go by car, not that Paul minded much since he also worked there as an English teacher.

"Percy, I'm in the kitchen," Sally called back. Percy saw Paul sitting by the table, newspaper in hand. Sally was by the stove, stirring a pot of steaming soup. "How was school?" Paul perked up at the question. Both of them staring at him eagerly.

"As usual." He didn't want to tell them he was attacked by a group of swooning cheerleaders, saved by one blonde heroin and meeting the heroin's mother as the principal for the Education Department. His thoughts difted back to his nearly blank schedule and Athena's words. _The time will come for choices. And I hope you make the right one._ Was something about to happen to him?

Paul and Sally exchanged concerned looks at the lack of detail. "Have you decided on what club you will be joining for your curricular activities?"

That part was hard for him to answer. Not because it was confusing to choose a club you would gladly devote your whole school year into it. No, it was how his tour guide had never gave him any options. He spent his afternoon touring the campus with a guide who didn't mention much about choosing one besides pointing out locations.

Calypso was from the Musical Department. She had volunteered out of pity. Apparently, transferees shouldn't be messed with because when you were a transfer, you were either kicked out or a major freak from your school. Well, the freak part wasn't far from it. Another thing was, he didn't know why a beautiful girl would even give a thought about him. No girls looked at him like that from Goode. Why should there be in Half-Blood High?

Calypso was a stunner. She had caramel hair falling in waves behind her back, her dark almond-shaped eyes and milky complexion that complimented the aura that surrounded her. When she drew close, he caught a whiff of cinnamon. Calypso was of natural beauty. She was pretty without trying. Yet, it didn't give him that heart pounding sensation when you were in love. Besides, the girl already had a boyfriend.

"Calypso, in your opinion, which club should I join?"

Calypso stopped so suddenly that Percy bumped into her. "Neither," she said indifferently.

"Okay..." Percy said with uncertainty. "Why exactly? I thought everyone requires curricular activities for the afternoon."

"Sorry, Percy. I can't explain it. Choices will be given to you when the time is right. It's your move to pick the correct one."

Percy kept quiet after that. _Choices will be given to you when the time is right. It's your move to pick the correct one._ Was she saying there was going to be a wrong answer in club selection? That did not make any sense at all.

"Percy," Paul said, breaking Percy out of his thoughts. His eyes drifted to Percy's bandage elbow. He looked alarm. "Did something happen in school? If so, we can meet the principal—"

"No, no, Paul, Mom, it's fine," Percy stuttered out. "Accident."

"Are you okay, honey?" Sally asked. "Did you got involved in a fight?"

Should he? Yes, these were his parents. "Mom, Paul. What do you do if your campus tour guide said 'choices will be given to you when the time is right'? And there is a wrong answer in club selection." He met his parents' eyes who appeared confused at his question. He yanked his black hair in frustration. "Never mind. I'm going to take Blackjack out for a night stroll!" He ran out of the kitchen.

"Percy! What about dinner?"

"Leave it in the fridge! I'll be back to heat it up for myself!" he called back, using the backdoor to the small backyard of unkempt grass and dried leaves from the trees. A quarter of the area had been swept for Blackjack to lessen down his complaints. He went to a lonely stable by the far side of the fence, noting a neighing stallion stomping his hooves.

"Hey, Blackjack, ready for a stroll?" Percy asked, unhooking the lower door away from the loop that kept the hook in place. Blackjack snorted and pawed the ground exasperatedly. Percy laughed. "Sorry I kept you waiting. First day sucks for me. Too many questions, too little answers. You try being me for once."

Blackjack made a noise, his tail swishing back and forth. Percy chuckled at his reaction. "Yeah. I guess you are right." The stallion whinnied as he trotted a few steps forward, nudging his nose to Percy's shoulder. After being restrained too long in the stable, Percy guessed Blackjack was bored out of his life. "What do you say, competition?"

Blackjack huffed, driving his hooves into the grass, his black eyes focused on him, as if accepting the challenge.

* * *

This was the worst detention they had ever gotten from Medusa that lasted the whole night of them cleaning up the campus. With Thalia's swearing and Bianca's useless attempts to calm her down, Annabeth could only sigh to herself, dumping bags in the large dumpster not too far from the main entrance.

The moon was up high in the sky. She saw constellations peeking out from behind blurry clouds. The night air was cool and damp, aside from the terrible stench of trash. She was about to go meet up with her friends when she heard loud clanks of hooves. About half a mile away, she spotted a shadow creeping down the streets. Suddenly she smelled the ocean, the air became salty. Like a fast-forward motion, the shadow closed in with incredible speed. A figure was pressed low into the galloping form. The shadows pounced into the light, leaping over a bag of trash she had forgotten about.

And that was when she saw _him_.

The transfer student of Half-Blood High, Percy Jackson, sitting on a black stallion with no horse tack whatsoever, hands kept a gentle hold on the stallion's nape. The stallion's mane fluttered from the rush of wind, almost blocking Annabeth completely from seeing Percy. Time stayed as slow as possible with the leap, and Percy's green eyes locked onto her gray ones. Momentararily forgetting about Medusa's punishment, about her two best friends still finishing up within the compound, about the memories of Luke giving her looks of interest and how she literally blushed from it—her mind was blank, the only image implanted into her mind was Percy on a black stallion in mid-jump, the glow from the moon did wonders to the scene.

This would be the fairest moment she'd captured. Locking eyes with a boy on a horse, real fantasy dreaming. Books and novels usually gave the hero and heroin more intimidating meetings, like the damsel in distress or the eye catching scene where you finally saw the other person as an interest. She had met Luke when he charmed his way into her heart with his mischievious blue eyes. His way of courting someone started out as childhood friends, ended with both developing feelings for each other, but sadly have not confessed to each other yet.

But she couldn't think about Luke no matter how long she tried to stray her mind away from Percy, because was captivating in his own way. Maybe without the muscles like Luke, but the wild aura that surrounded him pulled her in. He was untameable yet controlled.

Just like the sea, he was free.

Percy sat up straighter, his eyes transfixed on hers. He was still airborne when his grip loosened on the stallion's nape. She would have loved the atmosphere they were having until she thought about her feelings for Luke and the fact that Percy wasn't paying must attention at landing point. "Percy, look out!" The stallion's hooves landed on the pavement—still at top speed. Percy's eyes widened, he slid off to the end, a jerk from the horse's rear sent him stumbling back on the pavement. He hit the street, groaning painfully. The horse seemed to realize that his master had fallen because the stallion came trotting teasingly back to Percy's side, nudging his nose in his hair. She swore the horse was laughing with the whines he was producing.

Annabeth ran over to Percy. She examined him like she had done earlier. She turned him onto his back, spotting a few cuts and bruises, no serious injury so far. At least his now dirtied T-shirt and long pants had protected him from fatal damage.

She righted herself, extending one hand to help him sit up when she felt a long, furry whip smacked her back, pushing her forward. She knocked Percy down—who moaned in protest from the way she had hit his bruises. She planted her hands firmly at the sides of his head, maintaining her balance from hurting the black-haired further.

"Annabeth, what the hell were you—Oh my Gods." Annabeth froze. Thalia and Bianca were standing a few feet away with gaping mouths, eyes ready to pop out from their sockets. This was the last thing her best friends needed to see: her stradling a gorgeous boy beneath her. Hades, she wouldn't be in this position if it had not been for that stupid accident—

Wait. She turned to the black stallion. He looked at her innocently, silently mocking her expression with his swishing tail. _Stupid horse. _She inwardly cursed. "I can explain," she said quickly, addressing the two.


End file.
